No Madrasa Board without consensus among Muslims

Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal today sought to assure the Madrasas that the Government had no intention of interfering in their system.

''No step will be taken by the Governmment towards setting up the proposed Madrasa Board unless there is consensus among all sects of the Muslim Community and other stakeholders,'' Sibal said in a message to the All Indian Imams Conference held here. He said Madrasas were playing a meaningful role in the education of children who for any reason do not find entry into government schools.

''The recent law of free education for all up to 14 years will address, to a large extent, the problem and ensure that every child gets quality education irrespective of religion which his parents profess,'' he said. The Minister said he was happy to learn that many ulemas and imams were conscious of the need to modernise education in the traditional institutions and had introduced modern subjects in their curriculum